Coping with Hail Damage to Forage Crops and Pastures

It’s March, the snow is melting and the ground is frozen so we know what that means! Now is a good time to be considering or thinking about frost seeding some red clover into those winter wheat stands! While we can’t control all the factors that influence the success of our red clover stands in […]
Reports indicate widespread alfalfa winterkill due to several thaws that reduced snow cover and created ice in fields. Many stands were either patched or put into an annual forage. Here are some tips on managing alternative forage crops. First cut is usually (but not always) 60 days after planting Table 1. Harvest guidelines for alternative […]
Thank you to Mike Verhoef who chaired the first breakfast meeting and to Steve Johns who sponsored breakfast. The next meeting will be on April 30 starting at 7:00 am for breakfast (meeting starts at 7:30). Dave Townsend will be the chairman. The meetings will finish no later than 9:00 am. There was an excellent […]
Conditions: Moderate temperatures at the end of winter, combined with limited precipitation minimized spring water runoff and soil erosion. Soil is drying slowly, allowing for only limited field activity to date. Alfalfa: Winter survival generally looks excellent. Alfalfa has 1 to 2 inches of new growth at this point and is showing no sign of […]
Frost seeding or the broadcasting of forage seed on frozen ground in late-winter or early-spring can be an effective way of improving the forage quality and yield of thinning pastures. It allows for the establishment of forages at reduced cost in an undisturbed sod and also shortens the non-grazing period in the spring. For frost […]